Tag, You're It
by purushi
Summary: Team 8 has improved much since their days as Genin. But a recent undercover mission that offers Hinata up as bait, poses a threat to their new found confidence. When the mission goes awry, will Hinata's comrades be there to protect her? ShinoxHinataxKiba
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A rustle of leaves were heard through the vibrant green trees of Konoha; blurs of color racing past the corner of peripheral vision. Team Eight's morning training had commenced with the rising of the sun, and with their ritual game of "tag."

Hinata, now a young woman of seventeen years of experience, skillfully moved from tree to tree keeping an eye out for Shino.

When Kurenai – sensei had suggested the child's game as an exercise to hone stealth and agility, the thirteen year olds of Team Eight at the time gawked with disbelief and disregarded her seriously, but the game had been ritual every morning, even five years later.

Jumping from her current position to another branch the kunoichi pressed her slim figure quickly against the side of a tree trunk, and caught her breath for a moment, her white eyes still scanning the area for a glimpse of her spectacle-clad teammate.

Hinata could have easily activated Byakugan and found him in an instant, just as Shino could have put tracer bugs on Hinata and Kiba, but certainly… where was the challenge in that?

Hinata had learned to grow an appreciation for the adrenaline of pushing her body to the limits. Her ebony locks fell to her waist and whipped out to the rhythm of the wind that rustled the leaves and cast speckled shadows across her pale skin.

"**ARGGHHHH**" the disgruntled cry of Kiba could be heard about half a mile northeast of Hinata's position, breaking what was left of the peaceful contemplation of a morning in Konoha.

Kiba got tagged. Hinata chuckled to herself.

Without moving from her position she addressed her stoic teammate that had just materialized behind her.

"Shino… no need to aggravate Kiba this early…" the hyuuga heiress chided as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"Mm. He needs to learn to keep a cooler head… this is training after all." The male jounin of the team had grown to a towering height when having turned eighteen, Hinata could feel his presence behind her and always failed to suppress a shiver whenever he was near. A flicker of a grin crossed his lips, having taunted Kiba so early in the game. It seemed no matter how much Team Eight grew, some things would never change.

"Better watch out, he'll probably be after you." Shino's voice was a hushed whisper against Hinata's ear as he brushed past her easily accelerating his speed. An easy feat for a jounin such as himself, he never ceased to rub Kiba's chuunin status in his face.

Hinata sighted and headed north, continuing her progress leaping from branch to branch, her hair like a tail that whipped out behind her. A flicker of grey caught her attention to the left and she instinctively halted and pressed her frame against a trunk. A familiar large dog pounced on Hinata and she fell from her perch and landed with a cushioned thud on a patch of green fallen leaves.

Laughing uncontrollably as the familiar large white canine continued to lick her face, Hinata managed to sputter out her response between fits of giggles.

"Kiba!...no… fair… you … cheated…" Hinata feigned a pout and looked deeply into the pupils of the large dog.

In a puff of smoke the large furry paws that rested to the side of her head transformed into human hands.

Hinata smiled and looked up into the familiar face of her teammate Kiba, a rustle of leaves to her right revealed the dog he had impersonated, Akamaru.

The wild – eyed brunette smirked and looked down on his prey, who only smiled gently.

"Aww… How did you know it was me?" Kiba continued grinning deviously, his body heaving from exhaustion and adrenaline.

"Easy…" a stoic voice above regarded his two teammates on the floor.

"Akamaru smells better."

"Ey!" Kiba snapped fiercely at the bespectacled jounin whose glasses glimmered back Kiba's scowling reflection.

Hinata couldn't help chuckling at her teammates. Kiba's attention was turned back to the girls whose hips he was still straddling. Kiba licked her playfully on the cheek.

"Kiba! _Gross_!" Hinata pushed the brunette away from her but still smiled, Kiba's doggy actions reflected his doggy nature.

Hinata and her teammates had grown much closer over the 5 years they had been together, they became the family she never had, and she cherished them more than anything in the world.

Her Team. The two comrades that helped her train and finally gain some recognition with her chuunin status.

A rustle to the left produced their sensei Kurenai, with a glint of noticeable excitement in her eye. Shino quickly averted his attention to her arrival.

"New Mission?" he inquired with the two simple words.

The teacher nodded and eyed each of her pupils tauntingly, as if she had a rather pleasurable treat.

"Not another escort mission?" Kiba snarled with disgust, the Godaime had been rather systematic on dishing out the escort missions towards team eight.

Kurenai, her ruby smile growing wider, shook her head.

"Undercover." Kurenai blurted pleased with the slightly incredulous looks from her pupils.

"What are the details?" Hinata's interest flickered through her inquiry and for a moment Kurenai's mood of optimism since she arrived faltered as she looked towards the hyuuga kunoichi. Hinata noticed and furrowed her brows in confusion.

Before Hinata could further inquire into Kurenai's action, her sensei had already burst into the briefing of the mission.

"A village not far from here is having a festival, however, the people of the village are concerned, recently young women from the village have been reported missing and then found a day later dead. The festival is a big event that will surely lure the enemy to attack…"

The team seemed to follow her explanation without any unexpected reactions, but curiosity lingered in the air.

"Our mission, is to find the enemy and stop them before another victim is made."

Kurenai cast a glance towards Hinata, who gazed back curiously and now a little anxious. It was clear now that their sensei had something that she was stalling to keep from talking about.

"Hinata." Kurenai addressed, now with a much more authoritative tone.

"Your performance shall prove integral in the success of the mission, as you will be playing the bait."

Hinata felt the eyes of her team on her. Recovering from the surprise of the news she quickly gave her instructor a look of determination along with a firm nod.

"Understood."

Needless to say her two male companions were uneasy over offering their female team mate as bait to some sick murderer.

Kiba opened his mouth wide to protest.

"What kind of mission is that? You can't just—" his eyes flickered to Hinata in protective concern.

"I can do it." Hinata interjected, almost fiercely, which even caused the stoic Shino to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"I mean… a mission is a mission_, right_?" Hinata urged, trying to avoid Kiba's piercing gaze. His concern for her made her feel like a burden to her team.

**No**. She wasn't the timid and fragile genin she was before. She had come too long of a way, and had finally summoned just a little bit of respect for herself. She couldn't risk disappointing them. She would not burden her comrades with her inexperience.

"It's settled." Shino retorted after seeing his teammate's determination.

Kurenai, after glancing over her pupils one last time, nodded and left the three of them to themselves.

"Thank You. Shino." Hinata mumbled, a soft smile of contentment spreading on her lips.

Shino merely nodded stoically.

Forcing a smile on her face, " Alright then ! I'll try my best! I'm counting on you two to protect me." Her bubbly response temporarily shocked her team and then the mood towards the mission was changed.

Any former opposition to the terms of the mission was blasted away by Hinata's consent, her statement surged a positive confidence into the atmosphere and her team mates faced her with an accepting smile. She lived for that smile, and she would do anything for her partners.

As the three members of team 8 walked out of the meeting place in the woods, Shino turned to Hinata silently.

"Are you truly that confident in your abilities for this mission?"

"No, not really." The young woman admitted offhandedly, both men gazed at her.

She stopped in her tracks, and pushed a smile back upon her lips.

"But, I'm confident in both of yours."

And with that note, her partners smiled and left their uncertainties to the wind.

**-Continued in Chapter 2-**


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews _Nee-chan8, foolycoolyshippo, juliagula1017, Blue Quartz Foxy,_ and_ Jyukai Koudan_! It really encourages me to keep writing!

I'll be trying to establish a more teenage-vibe from the cast, they are pretty old now. Hinata being 18 and the two boys 19… I guess I can't really refer to them as boys anymore. Akamaru has grown as well, just think… he's big enough for Kiba to ride around on now. Hinata is now much more confident and relaxed, especially around her team mates.

Thank you again for reading.

**Chapter 2**

The morning had started deceptively calm enough as Team Eight embarked towards the direction of the village, the sun had not risen and the dark silhouettes of Team Eight were barely distinguishable amongst the shadows cast by the moonlight.

Kiba stopped on a branch mid stride, his companion Akamaru halting 10 feet below.

"Hinata, how much further?" The disgruntled teen swept rebellious strands of hair from his eyes and carefully glanced at his female companion that had just released her dark tresses from a ponytail and retied it quickly with grace before mopping her own brow.

They had traveled pretty quickly since midnight, 4 hours, the sun would be up soon, and the festival started in the morning.

With well-rehearsed preparation the kunoichi muttered the familiar trigger word.

"**_Byakugan_**."

The world was transformed with startling clarity; her mental scope raced quickly past rows of trees and finally spotted a village 5 miles north. Releasing her blood limit she dutifully reported the news to her team mates.

"Good. We'll arrive shortly. The client lives in the outskirts of the village. Seems that they're a tailor by profession and we should be able to slip into the village without drawing much attention."

Hinata couldn't suppress the swelling nervousness that threatened to consume her; her sensei's words rang in her head.

She couldn't mess this up. It wasn't an option.

"Hinata." The sharp voice of Shino snapped her back into reality and she temporarily forgot she stood precariously on a tree limb. Stumbling, she fell back.

"Uwaah." The fall was short, she felt herself fall into strong steady arms, peering up she saw the familiar face of Shino who wore an unfazed expression, as if he caught falling girls from trees all the time. Well, at least Hinata, who had kept her childhood habit of dazing off at times.

"Seems like some things you won't grow out of no matter how great of a ninja you become." Even behind the high collar Hinata could tell Shino wore a smirk. She raised an eyebrow and feigned a pout.

"Sorry, was distracted." she mumbled a bit embarrassed, a tint of red escaping on her cheeks, something about being around Shino made her feel like she was the timid genin of her younger days.

She felt the chest of the jounin vibrate against her with a soft chuckle, and she looked up and raised an eyebrow, only to see her comrade smirking secretively to himself musing on his own thoughts.

At first, one would think to never see the stoic Shino laugh, but years of being with his companions had revealed a side to him that took years of companionship to see. Hinata smiled contently. Some things, like the way she smiled, would never change.

Kiba landed next to Shino and grunted very animal-like seeming to be slightly disturbed.

"Alright, let's get going." Kiba motioned his head towards the direction their destination.

In a swift movement, Hinata jumped out of the arms that held her and used Shino's arm to propel herself upwards to a tree limb just above.

The poker-faced jounin grunted.

"Great. Now I'm a _stepping stool_." He fazed quickly past Hinata and she swore she could feel his breath on her ear as he moved past her. The closeness of their bodies for that split second threw her off and by the time she had regained control, Shino stood ahead of her on a nearby branch, smirking at Hinata's momentarily flustered reaction.

Pouting she sped forward and yelled across her shoulder.

"Come on you two, I bet I can beat you there." Sticking out her tongue playfully to see her two, now grinning, comrades follow her.

At the rate they had sped along they had reached the village in an hour and a half's time. Panting, Hinata plopped unceremoniously onto the floor and caught her breath, a wide smile of contentment across her face.

An equally tired Akamaru lay next to her and Hinata collapsed onto the large white fluffy pillow that was the dog's stomach. She smiled in happiness from sheer exhaustion and closed her eyes for a moment's rest.

"Ey! Hinata! What's this? You'll sleep with my smelly _dog_ but won't spend a night with _me_?" Kiba feigned a hurt expression as he scooped Hinata's body easily under one arm and locked his arms around her waist, pressing her small frame against his larger one.

"Well, if you were as _comfortable_ to sleep with as Akamaru…" a tired Hinata replied, rubbing her eyes and feeling slightly grumpy from not being able to rest a bit after the morning's travels.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba inquired a bit fiercely in opposition to being upped by his dog.

"It means… that you have things _left to be desired for_ in bed." A smirking Shino appeared next to the duo.

"Ey. Slow poke, 'bout time you got here." Kiba turned towards Shino and tried to brush the jounin's last statement off, but it had irritated him nonetheless.

Hinata, still looking a bit sleepy and grumpy that Kiba was picking on her so early in the morning, frowned a bit irritated but also disgruntled to see that her comrades had not taken the morning's excursion as hard as she did.

"Actually, you two were late, I've already met with our client." As if on cue, a silver haired man of twenty appeared a couple yards away approaching them.

Kiba looked surprised.

"I thought you said the client was a _seamstress_… you know, a _girl_?" Kiba couldn't help being a little disappointed.

"Tailor. _Male_ seamstress, problem?" Shino cocked his head slightly, obviously amused by Kiba's disappointment.

Hinata had now wriggled free of Kiba's hold and stood curiously watching the client approach.

"Good Morning, the rest of your team Shino-san I presume?" The client smiled, his eyes surveying Hinata who felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Yes." Shino answered crisply noticing the client spend a rather long time glancing towards his female companion, which inexplicably disturbed him, and not many things could disturb a man whose body was host to bugs.

"Kiba." The impatient brunette interjected, offering his name to the shifty-eyed client.

"Hinata." She bowed respectfully, her ebony strands that loosened from her ponytail spilling over her shoulders.

"Hinata-_chan_, a pleasure, I am Kazuo." He bowed politely in return and didn't pay much attention to Kiba, which was fortunate, for Kiba seemed to have an immediate dislike for this particular client.

His eyes scanned her frame up and down and he walked a slow circle around her, making Hinata feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Yes, you will do quite _nicely_, Hinata-chan, shall we get you changed?" Kazuo's smile left Hinata utterly baffled, and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"_Changed_? What for?" Kiba growled a bit defensively, he was thoroughly perturbed by the client circling Hinata like a piece of meat.

"Her attire is simply unacceptable for the role she shall play." Kazuo turned his attention to the disgruntled Kiba for the first time, still smiling, knowing that Kiba, no matter how vicious he acted could not cross the wishes of his client.

Hinata looked down and grimaced, having to agree that the worn out clothes she had picked to wear were dirty and had been kept in mind for comfort during missions, not exactly something that would impress.

"Ah, understood." Hinata nodded.

"_Excellent_," Kazuo chirped a bit too cheerily, "I'll explain the details of the mission on the way to my humble abode."

Having reached the small house that was Kazuo's home and tailor shop, Kazuo led Hinata to a room with a dressing screen in the corner and handed her some clothes.

While she changed behind the screen, Kazuo continued to explain the details, Kiba leaning against a wall paying particular attention to the wandering eyes of their client lest he peek behind the dressing screen.

Shino remained the presence of one who was merely handling matters "strictly on business."

"Once the sun rises in a few minutes, Hinata-chan will go into the festival grounds, hopefully to be able to identify the culprit at hand who will probably be somewhere near the booths around young women, if all goes well Hinata-chan should blend in unnoticed."

"Why can't we accompany her?" Kiba protested a bit loudly.

"Think. If we were to accompany Hinata, she would have a harder time passing by the culprit unnoticed." Shino stated factually, though inside he did feel reluctance in having Hinata by herself, he faced the fact realistically that both he and Kiba were too much of a liability that may blow Hinata's cover.

"It's alright Kiba, I understand." A rustle of fabrics could be heard throughout the conversation but suddenly it stopped and Hinata stood behind the screen silently.

"Hinata?" Shino inquired to his friend's sudden silence behind the screen.

"K-Kazuo-san… there must be some mistake…" Hinata's voice faltered and stuttered.

"This dress is… much too…" her voice broke off. Kazuo stepped behind the screen, which immediately caused a rise out of Kiba.

"Hinata-chan, it's _perfect_, you look **beautiful**." The client praised and tugged a reluctant Hinata out from behind the screen, her face blushing furiously and stepping out from behind the screen with defeat.

Kiba had gotten up halfway to stop Kazuo when he went behind the screen, but he halted when he saw Hinata.

His eyes widened and his ears started to redden furiously and he quickly turned away to hide his reddening face from Hinata.

'_The nerve of that pervert…_'

Kiba tried to suppress the hormone-driven fantasies that threatened to flit across his mind.

Shino remained wordless.

"S-see… it's _much_ too short."

**-Continued in Chapter 3-**


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you **juliagulia1017** for your review, I shall try to keep my updates prompt. I'm happy that you're pleased with my portrayal of Team Eight, it's kind of hard to mature 3 people into a role that you might not usually find them in. Thanks!

Also, thanks for reading **Blue Quartz Foxy**, I'm pleased to hear that you like my subtle romantic scenarios. I wanted to keep the interactions in character but also leave some lee-way for possibilities.

In this chapter, I really wanted to stress just how determined Hinata is now not to be a burden and to prove herself as a shinobi. I hope her actions are not out of character too much, but I do want to portray that she is no longer the timid 13 year old, but a young woman struggling for recognition in a high standard world.

_Thank you for reading._

**Chapter 3**

Hinata bowed her head in shame while Kazuo helped himself to brushing Hinata's tresses.

The dress was indeed short. Shino had at first thought that Hinata was overreacting, never having been exposed underneath her bulky jacket. However, Kiba's response was certainly justified.

A blushing Hinata futilely tried to tug the small fabric over more of her skin. The design was of a purple kimono, however, it had become all too apparent that Kazuo had taken the liberty of some alterations. The skirt had stopped at mid thigh and the neckline cut was uncomfortably low.

Shino eyed the client with a new outlook on the verge of distaste. Certainly, at first Shino had sensed his infatuation with Hinata, but to venture this far was nothing short of highly disturbing.

After pinning back Hinata's hair Kazuo stepped back and beamed, completely oblivious to Kiba's now deadly glare towards the client.

Feeling completely uncomfortable with all the attention, Hinata tried to deter Kazuo from insisting she wear the revealing piece of work.

"Kazuo-san, this simply won't work, where will I keep my weapons?" Hinata proposed, anything, _anything _at all to possibly get her out of wearing what she had on now.

"Hinata-chan, please, my skills as a tailor always require me to think about practicality as the first and foremost." Kazuo revealed what appeared to be a frilly piece of ribbon with 3 silver kunai strapped to it.

Puzzled, Hinata observed the article with confusion.

"What on earth is-_**AIEE**_!" Hinata's eyes widened as she saw Kazuo bend down, and before she could protest, he had taken the liberty of brushing up the hem of her skirt even further revealing more of her pale skin, fastening the equipped garter to her upper thigh.

Kiba growled with disgust he had had enough of patience.

_'To hell with that shit.'_

Grabbing Kazuo by the back of his collar he threw the eerily calm man to the corner, at once surprised that Shino stood to the side and did nothing to stop him from abusing the client.

"Kiba-san, I wish you wouldn't treat me so_ roughly_." Kazuo smirked from his new position slouched on the wall. "Do all of Konoha's shinobi treat their clients this way, or…," he paused to glare challengingly with a smile, "is Kiba-_san_ upset, that Kazuo-kun has gotten much farther than he'll ever have the opportunity to venture with Miss Hinata-chan."

Before Kiba's rage was ruthlessly relinquished on the smiling man, Shino had stepped in between the dispute.

His voice was crisp and carried an unusually icier tone than normal.

"Kazuo-san, I would like to request that you watch your tongue, and keep decent distance with our comrade."

_"Too close… much too close…_" Hinata blushed furiously, this time anger mixing in with having been so violated. Her comrades turned their attention back to Hinata who still seemed to be recovering.

The feeling of foreign skin brushing near an area forbidden to anyone, she had never been violated so bluntly.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan, I forgot how _sensitive_ a virgin can be." Kazuo smirked, thoroughly enjoying the reactions from the two male shinobi, and feeling completely comfortable in flustering the poor girl even further.

Even Shino furrowed a visible brow in distaste towards Kazuo's continually vulgar remarks, Kiba grabbed Kazuo's collar once more, Shino pretending not to notice and instead waited to savor the moment of seeing Kazuo's smile contact with Kiba's fist.

But someone had beat Kiba to it.

**SLAP.**

Even Kazuo dropped his smile in surprise. Hinata had had enough. She was fuming, her eyes shone with a glare that mirrored pure anger. She wouldn't let her companions defend her like she was some useless damsel.

Hinata addressed the stunned Kazuo tartly, each word dripping with disgust.

"If you ever… _ever_… go so far as to violate me again either verbally or physically, Kazuo-san you better pray I do not maim you where you stand."

Kiba relinquished his hold on Kazuo, and stood dumbstruck at his usually calm and collected companion.

"I am a Konoha _shinobi_…" she continued, "and I will not tolerate being your doll, do not think that you may ever approach me that way again."

Shino smirked visibly, this was much better than Kiba punching Kazuo.

Kazuo finally closed his mouth, and turned to the side and didn't say anything, like a child being scolded and sat silently in defiance.

Hinata watch the sunlight stream through the window. She faced the light with a determined and refreshed expression.

She would prove herself. She did not need to be babied and sheltered.

The success of this mission carried with it all the respect for herself that she had.

**-Continued in Chapter 4-**

Rather short update. I actually wrote this the same day I wrote Chapter 2, but I thought I shouldn't update too quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Blue Quartz Foxy**, I'll try to keep updates prompt, but most likely things will slow down once I have less time. But until then, I'll try to remain consistent, a part of me regrets uploading the chapters so quickly, because I'm afraid some readers may be disappointed when I don't upload as promptly in the future!

**Foolycoolyshippo**, I would laugh pretty hard if Kazuo fell on a pin cushion 300 times, but alas I need the role of the pervert for a bit longer.

**Achillea**, thanks for commenting on Hinata's reaction, I tried really hard to convey just how much her determination has pushed her to be more self-respecting, without her being too out of character, I'm pleased that I seemed to pull it off alright.

_Thanks for reading, and the reviews, honestly they keep me writing._

**Chapter 4**

Hinata ran the scene over and over again, being more and more regretful as to her actions towards her client. She was a shinobi, one who was never to let their emotions take control, no matter the situation… _right_?

Trying to push back her thoughts and face the mission at hand, she now stood outside of Kazuo's home and silently observed as the villagers prepared for the days festivities, people hanging paper lanterns and the fried food booths preparing their wares of squid and sweet potatoes for the morning rush. Hinata still felt highly perturbed in the attire she was forced to don, but it was too late for changes.

Hinata felt the familiar sensation of Shino's approaching presence, and closing her eyes she exhaled deeply, a gentle but firm hand brushed against the small of her back shooting a shudder up her spine with contact, opening her eyes she recognized Shino's gesture towards comforting her. It was funny how a man of few words could communicate so much with his touch.

The kunoichi forced a smile on her lips, and Shino drew his hand into his pocket and in his hand he held a butterfly with vivid purple wings. Wordlessly he gently put it into Hinata's hair, where it sat on top of her clip and remained frozen, as if it were an ornament that had been created by a master craftsman.

"It'll let us know if there's trouble." He muttered into her ear as he placed it atop her tresses.

Hinata smiled, feeling a bit more comforted with his kind gesture,_ no_… it was strictly required for the mission, Shino was strictly concerned over her in order for the mission to be successful, that was all, she couldn't let them down, him or Kiba.

Kiba had emerged from the doorway of the house, by now only seeing his two other comrades idly watching the preparations of the festival, and the trickling crowd of kimono clad villagers start to wander into the festival.

Hinata heaved a sigh, and clenched her hand against her heart.

Her mission today was to find possible suspects that may be the culprit. She had 3 days of which then afterwards the festival would end and the man would then be hard to trace.

She reviewed the necessary approach in her head. _Establish connections but remain somewhat aloof and unnoticed._

A sudden jolt on her shoulder caused her to snap out of her reverie, Kiba smirked and gave Hinata a friendly squeeze. She relaxed in response.

"You worry too much Hinata." Kiba retorted with false smugness, "Shino and I will be nearby."

With a now less reluctant nod Hinata smiled, even now her team pampered her.

By noon the festival was packed, Hinata had not found much luck yet, a couple young teen hormone driven boys flirting left and right, but otherwise nothing particularly bold or suspicious.

Hinata kept skirting area where most of the girls congregated, passing by fortune telling booths, she watched a group of girls giggle and blush. The kunoichi couldn't help rolling her eyes. _Honestly_, what a waste of money.

Maybe she was just growing cynical with the lack of success. Maybe this was all some kind of set up by Kazuo, just so he could strangle some poor girls into a dress for his own sick fantasies.

Before she reflected more sourly on the bad luck of this morning, an unknown hand wound around her waist and she could feel someone sniffing her hair.

Thoroughly vexed that she was being violated again because of her attire for the second time this morning and also with herself for not having paid attention to their approach, she whirled around in fueled frenzy and held the wrist of the violator as she spun around with ease.

She hadn't expected to see a smiling grown man, a perverted teen boy maybe, but not a tall red headed man with a piercing gaze that seemed to shatter her defenses with the way they bore into her.

He cocked an eyebrow and let an entertained smirk leak onto his lips, Hinata regained her composure and smiled politely trying to recover from her hasty action from before. This man was the most interesting encounter to mark for this morning's progress.

"I'm sorry about that," Hinata relinquished her hold on the man's wrist whom seemed to have not minded much anyways.

He raised a hand as if to wave off the action as purely justified, his eyes glittered in an unreadable way that made Hinata more nervous, and she brushed a hand upon the thigh where her kunai lay out of instinct.

"No need to apologize, I shouldn't have been so bold." The way he smiled caused Hinata to tense, it was eerie, like the way a vulture eyed a dying animal knowing that in a few moments he would have it in its grasp.

"You can call me Yuu, and may I know your name?" the man had a horrible way of never releasing his gaze.

"Hi-," she stopped herself from almost giving out her real name. Had she really let this man affect her so much as to forget such basic rules of undercover missions?

"Hikari…" she finished, having gained inspiration from one of the flickering lights in a lantern nearby.

"Shall I make it up to you, Hikari-chan, by treating you…" He offered a hand, and for some reason Hinata lost the ability to have resisted, but from what, fear?

"Er. Sure."

The rest of the festival had been awkward enough, having spent the entire day with Yuu, who proved to be a man of supreme aloofness, making him all the more strange to Hinata. However, Hinata was diligent in watching his every move to see if he was particularly flirtatious, instead it seemed that he was quite the opposite, having a particular interest in Hinata.

Towards the end of the festival, she had no luck spotting anything suspicious, Yuu seemed strange and definitely threatening to her, but it was hard to detangle the reasons as to why she felt that way. Was it her mind playing tricks on her, or was it her instincts reacting to true reason for suspicion?

A tap on her shoulder caused her attention to come back to her escort who had accompanied her to the entrance of the festival where many people were now leaving as the sun began to set. Hinata couldn't help but feel disappointed with the lack of progress of the first day.

"Hikari, please do me the honor of accompanying me tomorrow," before she could react, his hand had found its way to her chin and brushed his lips against his cheek, Hinata feeling completely numb from terror.

She couldn't shake the feeling of sheer fright in reaction to him, the lurking feeling had clung to her throughout the entire day.

As she watched his retreating figure, Hinata felt incredibly cold, as if all her skill as a shinobi was stripped bare of her, and that she stood alone as a helpless girl at the hand of someone with such a foreboding presence.

Reluctantly she retreated back to Kazuo's tailor shop, dismayed from the lack of any substantial progress as well as scolding herself for having been so distracted by the mere presence of a man.

When she reached the door of Kazuo's home, another surprise awaited her as she saw a rather injured Kiba massaging a cut arm, one of many that were all over his body. Hinata quickly made her way to him, and crouched by his side, a flash of concern overwhelming her and driving all her past thoughts away to focus on Kiba's beat up state, he didn't seem to be in any critical danger but he did seem quite depressed.

An embarrassed Kiba turned his head from her gaze.

"Don't look at me like that Hinata…" he pleaded, a bit ashamed to see her take such quick pity on his state.

After much trouble Hinata managed to get Kiba to a room where she formally treated his cuts as best she could. Her agile hands ran across the wounds on his chest and arms, her fingers familiar with the roughness of his skin as she applied ointment with practiced skill, having dressed Kiba's wounds before when he had gotten injured from his reckless fighting before.

Kiba rested his chin on her shoulder as she wrapped a bandage around his chest. He breathed in her scent and his eyes fell to a lidded state as he enjoyed her aroma, tempted to draw himself closer to the nape of her neck, his hand that steadied her balance on her back having subconsciously started stroking her but stopped quickly when he realized that he was letting himself get out of hand.

'_It was that damn dress…_' Kiba blamed his unusually active hormones on the revealing dress, cursing it for making him into a fool that could barely control his own hands.

Wiping the sweat off of her brow she finished tying the last bandage around his chest, which had been quite faster than normal for Kiba, _or was it just his pleasure in their intimacy?_ He shook his head and faced Hinata who had seemed distracted enough with putting away her bandages to notice.

Kiba gave his muscles a stretch and smiled satisfied.

"Thanks Hinata, these wounds'll probably be fine by tomorrow." He grunted pleased and sat cross legged facing Hinata.

"What happened?" Hinata finally grew impatient of Kiba brushing off his state as if nothing had really occurred.

"Got into some trouble with a punk at the festival, he had been doing some shifty business, swiping money from booths, he was pretty good too but nothing special, though he did happen to give us some trouble when it came to fighting…"

By Kiba's choppy and un-sequenced explanation Hinata could only sigh, seems like just another one of Kiba's quarrels, she was thankful that it wasn't anything serious.

"Where's Shino?" Hinata inquired, knowing that her stoic friend was probably fine wherever he was, being fully capable for protecting himself, but she couldn't suppress the nagging feeling of his absence this late at night.

With a yawn, Kiba stretched out onto the floor and closed his eyes.

"Probably off sulking…"

Hinata left the room after giving Akamaru a scratch behind the ears.

Returning to her room she changed into a white sleeping yukata that had been lain out by Kazuo, which, to her satisfaction, she had not seen much of all day. She released her tresses from their constraint atop her head, careful not to injure the butterfly still perching upon her locks.

As she prepared to slip into her futon, she hesitated. She could no longer ignore the nagging feeling as she looked out the window into the forest from where they had come from just this morning.

In a swift movement, after a quick debate with herself, she got back up and grabbed the medical kit she had used on Kiba and headed out the door.

The thought that Shino had still not come back unnerved her.

**-Continued in Chapter 5-**

Sorry if it's a bit slow, I didn't foresee the amount of detail I would have to go into in order for the story to flow more smoothly. Hopefully things will start to pick up once I get going.

On the other hand, I didn't want to make the chapters too lengthy.

_Thank you for reading thus far._


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you so much for those who have read thus far. I'm afraid I have been unable to update any of my work since school started, but finally break. I can write a little bit, thank god!

Also I'm going to say that my chapters are going to be getting more intimate. No worries, nothing blatantly sexual, but when I rated this Teen I had full intention of its content being for older readers.

Other than that, please enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 5**

**The Anger of Men**

In her haste she had rushed out into the depth of the woods outside of Kazuo's home dressed only in her sheer sleeping yukata, the medical kit banging her leg as she walked. Her ebony tresses which had been tied up relinquished loose strands of hair that cascaded onto her shoulders as she ran. The air was cool and crisp causing Hinata to tense and immediately scoff herself for dashing out without a jacket, or at least telling Kiba of her whereabouts.

'_He's probably fine. Why worry?'_

Her practical thinking berated her for her foolish actions. The sloshing of water as it gurgled across the forest floor could be heard from a nearby stream. She saw her team mate, and couldn't help but release a breath which she hadn't realized she was holding. Her body heaved from her traverse through the woods, the two teammates standing in silence.

"Shino…"

His name fell from her lips as she heaved, trying to suck in the oxygen that had been deprived to her from her journey here. He turned around, his eyes hidden behind his glasses, her eyes trailed down to see him shirtless and a poorly bound bandage around his waist.

"You're _hurt_!"

A spike of worry grew within her. Certainly it was common to see Kiba injured with his reckless nature and tactless fighting style. But she had _never_ seen Shino injured before, in all of her years with him.

"It's fine."

His retort was short and impersonal. Much like Shino usually was, but something about the tone of his voice caused unease in Hinata. She knelt down next to him and opened the medical kit and quietly began unraveling the bandages that were on Shino's injured chest, the patient not protesting, much to her surprise.

Her cool hands grazed against his flesh surveying the extent of his wounds.

'_Strange.'_

Her hands paused.

She had never seen Shino shirtless before, but something about the smoothness of his chest was strange to her touch. His chest for the most part was unmarred by scars like Kiba's. The wound in question was fresh and seemed to be an attack of a tiny parasite.

"What's wrong?"

His voice jolted Hinata back from her thoughts, she peered up to see his face inches from hers, their bodies in close contact since she had been unraveling his bandages. Behind his glasses intense blue eyes gazed back at her.

'_Wait__**… blue**__?'_

She instinctively tried to move her body away but she wasn't fast enough, Shino's face broke into a devilish smirk that was foreign on her comrade's features. The imposter grasped Hinata's wrist tightly.

"Wh-Who are you!?"

The kunoichi was immediately on guard, her free hand reaching for the kunai at her thigh only to realize that she had not only run out of Kazuo's home without a jacket, but without her kunai holster.

'_A mistake only a genin would make! How much more pitiful could I get?'_

The imposter's lips parted; his eerie smirk spread across Shino's features.

"Ah, so you finally realized… a bit slow aren't we Hinata-chan?"

His free hand began to brush her thigh, Hinata began to blush furiously feeling only more vulnerable in the sheerness of her yukata.

"What gave me away, pray tell?" He looked up smirking, enjoying the situation, his aloofness un-shattered.

"Your chest is unmarred …" As the explanation left her lips she was referring to Shino's body which lay host to his parasitic weapons.

"Shino's eyes aren't blue." She continued, wetting her lips trying to buy time as she reached her free hand toward the medical kit hoping to find what she was looking for.

"And your wound also gave you away." She concluded.

"Ah… so you noticed the wound that your friend left on me…" He commended her, his eyes gazing at her masterfully.

"No."

Her gaze was fierce from her lavender-white eyes, and a small smirk tugged at her lips.

"Shino would _never_ have been injured in the first place."

She took pleasure seeing the imposter's expression falter slightly at her remark.

Her wandering hand had found what she was looking for as her fingertips grazed the cold metal of the medical scissors. In a quick movement, the blade was pressed against the imposter's neck.

"Show yourself!" Anger tinted her voice, all she could muster to cover her nervousness with the betraying of her rapidly beating heart.

"I'm sorry, I have yet to finish my mission, until then I can not reveal myself to you." His voice remained relaxed and calm, which only unnerved Hinata further.

"What purpose do you have in that guise?" She wetted her lips in futility. Though she seemed to be in a position of power with the blade of the scissors pressed across his neck, she had never felt more vulnerable.

"Does it bother you?" His inquiry touched a chord within her. Her position of power was quickly fading, and he seemed to notice.

Her hands preoccupied with holding the blade to his neck and the other still firmly in his grasp, she hadn't noticed the imposter's assault along her thigh. Her yukata was pushed up all the way, and his hand tugged boldly at the sash. She gasped, but before she could react her imposter quickly jumped out of the way as several kunai hit the spot where he had been resting just before.

Her gaze flew toward the origin of the assault, relieved to see her comrade.

"Shino!"

He stood in a branch above, the glinting wings of a vibrant violet butterfly on his shoulder.

The imposter's eerie smile faltered for a second.

"It seems our acquaintance has been cut short _Hyuuga-sama_, if only circumstances were different I might have been able to see the world through your eyes tonight…" And with the ambiguous message, the imposter disappeared amongst the rustling of the trees against the wind.

Her entire body collapsed with his leave, Hinata sucked in gasps of air. She had been unaware of the tension she had been experiencing and her body felt weak from the encounter. A wave of exhaustion swept over her. Shino had leapt to the forest floor next to her, watching as she regained her composure.

She had been frightened, when had she become this weak? Her heart's pace didn't cease its rapid beating against her ribcage, her breaths coming up short. Her body was cool with perspiration. After a few moments she looked up at Shino her black tendrils slick against her skin from the sweat, and her features managed to break into a smile.

"Thank goodness you're alrigh-"

"_You were careless."_

His voice was cold and carried a tone she had rarely detected, anger.

She felt stupid. Of course he was fine. She had been tricked by an imposter and would have been in trouble if Shino hadn't arrived. Could she really call herself a kunoichi?

Her gaze looked down at the forest floor in shame.

"I apologize." Her lips dry, "my carelessness may have cost us the mi-"

"That's not it!" His voice showed frustration, Hinata's gaze snapping upward to meet his eyes.

"Remember. Your safety will always be first and foremost in any mission." His voice was calm once again and his brows furrowed in concentration, he let out a sigh.

"Don't worry me like that again…" He whispered under his breath, a hint of defeat in his voice.

The journey back had been a blur; Shino had walked her to Kazuo's home afterwards returning to the forest to search for the imposter.

She needed to be protected again. That feeling of uselessness began to fester within her. A wave of that sickening possibility of the return of her timid younger years began to threaten her. She walked into the hallway toward her room. Her body was glazed in sweat and she was dazed from the evening's encounter, her heartbeat continuously pounded in her ear to serve as reminder. She couldn't shake off the chill of the imposter she had encountered.

The door to her left slid open and a body pushed her against a wall.

"Where have you been!?"

Kiba snarled, a growl emitting from the depths of his throat.

She couldn't respond, her heart already beating fast and her mind already full with the encounter that night.

After a while she managed to utter a few words barely audible amongst her rasps for air.

"K-Kiba…not now. I need…" She felt limp, mentally worn out.

He growled impatiently and grabbed her waist and shoved her into his room sliding the door behind him, watching as she collapsed onto his futon, sweating and her chest heaving with her breaths.

He watched her breathe and waited for her breathing to calm down. Whatever had happened had flustered her greatly and he summoned all the patience he had to wait for her to calm down. But something animalistic began to stir within him as he watched her yukata sticking to her body with sweat as her breasts swelled with each breath. He tore his gaze from her body. Curse hormones.

His eyes wandered back to her figure lying on his futon, a renewed ambition to find out about what he was suspecting.

She smelled of a foreign odor, that wasn't indicative to any of his teammates. He grew perplexed and continued to watch as Hinata's breaths slowed to a quiet rhythm. The hem of her yukata was hiked up along her thigh; he blushed and began to turn away quickly when something caught his eye.

He growled and straddled Hinata within seconds, his anger sweltering to new heights.

"_Who touched you_!?" His inquiry was a demand. He glared accusingly into her eyes that seemed to stare back blankly.

His mind was enraged by the dirty finger imprints that wandered along her upper thigh.

**Continued in Chapter 6.**


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